Cigarette making machine



Sept. 10, 1940. D, w MOLlNs 2,214,430

CIGARETTE MAKING MAJHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 10, 1940. w, MQ| |N$ 2,214,430

CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Filed Feb 3, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIE... 38 FIE-L.

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" MMW lfioww- Patented Sept. 1c, 1946 UNITED STATES CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Desmond Walter Molins, Deptford, London, England, assignor to .Molins Machine Company, Limited, Deptford, London, England Application February 3, 1937, Serial No. 123,902 In Great Britain December 15, 1936 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to cigarette making machines, and refers to a device in which a conveyor is arranged to receive cigarettes issuing from the cut-off mecha- 5 nism of a continuous rod cigarette making machine and to move the cigarettes in an axial direction at a speed greater than the linear speed of the continuous cigarette rod, whereby the cigarettes are spaced apart in an axial direction and in which the cut-off mechanism includes a cutting element and a reciprocating guide member with which the cutting element co-operates to sever the axially moving continuous cigarette rod, said guide member being movable in the direction of movement of and at the same speed as the continuous cigarette rod during a cutting operation. A device as just set forth will be referred to in the appended claims as a device of the type described.

According to the invention there is provided a device of the type described wherein cigarette engaging means are provided to engage each cigarette successively and prevent each cigarette from moving at a faster speed than that of the g5 continuous cigarette rod, and to release each cigarette after the latter is wholly or substantially wholly above the surface of the conveyor whereby the whole or substantially the whole of each cigarette on being released is operatively engaged by the conveyor for the purpose of reducing the tendency of the cigarettes to slip on the conveyor when being accelerated thereby.

The cigarette engaging means may be movable with the reciprocating guide member and a cigarette released by the cigarette engaging means while said means moves in the direction opposite to the direction of movement of the continuous cigarette rod. The cigarette engaging means may comprise a yielding element or elements (e. g., a spring plate or plates) to provide a yielding engagement with the cigarettes. The cigarette engaging means may be connected to the reciprocating guide, and if desired, the reciprocating guide member may be driven so that a cigarette is Figure 2 is a plan of a part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 and is drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is asection on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view showing some of the mecha- 5 nism shown in Figure 1, the parts, however, being in positions different from those shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a modification which may be made to the construction shown in Figures 1 to 4.

Figure 6 is a sectional view showing another modification which may bemade to the construction shown in Figures 1 to 4.

Figure 7 is a side elevation showing a modified form of cigarette spacing mechanism.

Figure 8 is a section on line 8--8 of Figure '7.

Figure 9 is a section on line 9--9 of Figure '7.

Like references refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, a continuous ciga-' rette rod is formed by continuous cigarette rod forming mechanism (not shown) and the continuous cigarette rod passes into a reciprocating guide member Ill, sometimes referred to as a ledger or ledger tube provided with hardened steel members II which are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the axis of the continuous cigarette rod as can be more clearly seen in Figure 2, by a distance which is slightly greater than the thickness of a cutting element which is to pass between the members. A cutting element l2 mounted in a rotatable carrier 13 cooperates with the hardened steel members II to sever the axially moving continuous cigarette rod into lengths. The knife l2 and carrier l3 are secured to arms I4 which are pivoted on a pin I5 carried at one end of a shaft 20 which drives the cutting mechanism. The arms I are bolted together by bridge pieces l6 and each bridge piece has a pin I which fits into holes in a yoke l8. The yoke '8 is mounted for rotation in a bearing l9, and its axis of rotation is inclined to the axis of the driving shaft 20.

When the shaft 20 is rotated it also rotates the arms l4, and due to the angular disposition of the axis of rotation of the yoke I8 the cutting element [2 receives a reciprocating movement. During the time the cutting element I2 is cutting through the cigarette rod the plane of the cutting element is substantially at right angles to the axis of the continuous cigarette rod and the cutting element I2 is moving in the same direction as the continuous cigarette rod and at the same speed as the cigarette rod.

The reciprocating guide member In is supported by a pair of fiat spring plates. 2|, one end of each of the spring plates being secured to the guide member l0, the other ends of the flat spring plates 2| being rigidly clamped to a bracket 223 secured to the bed 23 of the cigarette making machine. Secured to the guide element l0 there is a bracket 23 which is arranged to slide on a rod 24 rigidly secured to the machine, the axis of the rod 24 being parallel with the axis of the continuous cigarette rod. The guide member In is reciprocated by a driving member comprising a crank 25 to which is secured a link 26 which connects the crank with a projection 21 secured to the guide member Ill. The crank 25 is drivenin timed relationship with the shaft 20, so that the guide member I0 is moving in the same direction as and at the same speed as the continuous cigarette rod during a cutting operation. As will be seen from the drawings, the flat spring plates 2| flex as the guide member I0 is reciprocated, and the guide member ID is caused to move in a straight line by reason of the bracket 223 which slides on the rod 24 whose axis is parallel with the axis of the continuous cigarette rod. It is to be understood that the cut-off mechanism, including the reciprocating guide member above described, is given by way of example and that such mechanism can be replaced by any other suitable form of cut-off mechanism.

The cigarettes issuing from the cutoff mechanism are guided by the reciprocating guide member l0 and are delivered on to a conveyor shown in the drawings as an endless canvas band 28. The conveyor 28 is driven so that it has a surface speed whlch is greater than the linear speed of the continuous cigarette rod, and by this means the severed cigarettes received by the conveyor 28 are spaced apart in an axial direction and are delivered by the conveyor 28 to a deflecting device indicated generally by the reference 29, which moves the cigarettes laterally off the conveyor 28 and deposits them in a row or rows on a further endless band not shown or deposits them into a suitable receptacle.

In order to obtain an even spacing of the cigarettes on the conveyor 28 cigarette engaging means are provided to engage with each cigarette successively and prevent each cigarette from moving at a faster speed than that of the continuous cigarette rod, and to release each cigarette after the latter is wholly or substantially wholly above the surface of the conveyor whereby the whole or. substantially the whole of each cigarette on being released is operatively engaged by the conveyor for the purpose of reducing the "tendency of the cigarettes to slip on the conveyor when being accelerated thereby.

In the construction shown in Figure 1 the cigarette engaging means comprises a pair of fiat spring plates 30 which are connected with the reciprocating guide member ID for movement therewith. It will be seen from Figure 2 that the spring plates 30 are so arranged that the space between them is normally less than the diameter of a cigarette, therefore, as a cigarette issues from the guide member H] the spring plates yield and grip the body of the cigarette, thus preventing the cigarette from moving at a speed greater than the speed at which the continuous cigarette rod is moving, because each severed cigarette is ejected from the guide member H! between the spring plates 30 and on to the conveyor 28 by the leading end of the continuous severed cigarette.

cigarette rod engaging with the rear end of the The tension in the spring plates is arranged or regulated so that when the leading and of a. cigarette is received by the conveyor 28 the grip of the spring plates is sufficient to ensure that the cigarette will be held in position against the leading end of the continuous cigarette rod and will not be a'ccelerated by the faster moving conveyor. In some cases, however, it may happen that as the leading end of a cigarette moves on to the conveyor, the friction between the cigarette and the conveyor is sufilciently great as to cause the cigarette momentarily to move at a speed which is slightly greater than the speed of the continuous cigarette rod, but the grip of the spring plates is in all cases suflicient to ensure that before the cigarettes can be moved at the speed of the conveyor, the cigarettes are wholly or substantially wholly on the conveyor. In the construction shown in the drawings the crank 25 is timed so that at the moment that the continuous cigarette rod completely ejects a severed cigarette from between the spring plates 30 the cigarette has been wholly or substantially wholly received by the conveyor 28, and at this moment the guide member ID is moving at or substantially at its maximum speed in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the continuous cigarette rod. By this means the time interval between the time when the cigarette is released by the springs and is accelerated by the conveyor 28 is reduced to a minimum so that the friction between each cigarette and the band is made more constant, thereby making the spacing between successive cigarettes more constant.

Figure 4 shows the relative position of the parts in one suitable construction at the moment that the spring plates 30 have released a cigarette so that it is substantially wholly above the conveyor and is about to be accelerated by the conveyor.

When the apparatus is working at the high speeds usual at the present date, that is, for example at about 1000 or more cigarettes per minute, it is found to be desirable to control the cigarettes whilst they are being moved by the conveyor 28 to control the cigarettes transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyor. For this purpose a controlling element 3| is provided and is positioned above the conveyor 28, that surface of the control element 3| which is nearest the conveyor 28 being recessed as shown at 32 so as to provide two substantially semicircular projections 33, which are capable of engaging the cigarettes and controlling them transversely of their direction of movement. The control element 3| is arranged so that the projections 33 normally do not engage with the cigarettes, but so that the projections engage with the cigarettes only if the cigarettes tend to become displaced transversely of their direction of movement whilst they are being carried by the conveyor 28. It will be seen that by the semi-circular form of the projections 33, should the cigarettes engage with the projections the resulting friction between the surfaces of the cigarettes and the projections will be reduced to a minimum. In order that the control element 3| may be easily adjusted and within fine limits the control element is supported by yielding supports 34 which supports comprise flat spring plates secured to a bracket 35 fixed to the frame of the machine. The control element 3| is also provided with projections 38 inwhich are mounted adjusting screws 31 which engage with a proaaiaaso jection 38 secured to the frame of the machine, and by reason of the adjusting screws 31 and yielding supports 34 the controlling element 3| is provided with a micrometer adjustment by means of which the control element 3I may be minutely adjusted relatively to the conveyor 28.

In practice it is sometimes found preferable that whilst that end of the control element 3| beneath which the cigarettes first pass does not normally engage with the cigarettes, the other endof the control element is adjusted so that the cigarettes passing beneath such other end are engaged by the control element. It will be appreciated that by means of the adjustment above referred to it is possible so to arrange the controlling element that it may be used to the best advantage according to the varying conditions which are found when producing cigarettes of different kinds or quality.

Figures 5 and 6 show modified forms of controlling element, thus in Figure 5 a controlling element I3I is shown engaging or capable of. engaging the cigarettes at three points instead of two as shown in Figure 3, whilst in Figure 6 two controlling elements I3I are shown to control the cigarettes laterally as they are moved by the conveyor 28, but in this instance no means are shown to control the cigarettes at a point or points above the horizontal diameters of the cigarettes.

Referring to the constructions shown in Figures 7 to 9, the cigarettes are arranged to be accelerated by the conveyor 28, but in this instance instead of the cigarette engaging means being connected with the reciprocating guide member I0 a spring plate I30 is provided, and this spring plate is secured to a support 39 over which the conveyor 28 passes. The spring plate I30, cooperates with a reaction surface which comprises a concave guide element 40 secured to the support 39, and shaped so as substantially to conform with the shape of a cigarette. In this construction it will be seen that two cigarettes are above the conveyor 28 before the first of the two cigarettes is released by being pushed out of the control of the spring plate I30 by the leading end of the continuous cigarette rod. As will be seen from Figure 7, the leading cigarette is Wholly above the conveyor whilst the second cigarette is substantially wholly above the conveyor at the time when the leading cigarette is released by the spring plate I30. In this construction a control element 33I is'provided and comprises a pair of endless spring bands which are passed around suitable guide rollers, one of which is indicated at II and the adjacent surfaces of the endless spring bands and the conveyor 28 are arranged to move in the same direction and at the same speed. As will be seen from Figure 7, the spring bands 3| are inclined where the cigarettes first pass beneath the bands 33I so that the spring bands do not engage with the cigarettes until the cigarettes have been released by the spring plate I30. The arrangement shown in Figure 7 is such that the cigarettes after being released by the spring plates I30, are gripped between the cooperating surfaces of the endless spring bands 33I and the conveyor 28 and are therefore held in position on the conveyor 28.

It is found in practice that it is not necessary when the spring plates 30 are connected with the guide member I 0 to utilise moving control elements, but when the cigarette engaging members are arranged in positionssuoh as that shown in Figure 7 then it is preferable to provide the moving control element 33I shown in Figure 7.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, the combination of a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed'than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, and means engaging the severed rod lengths while the latter are partly engaged by the conveyor to prevent accelerated movement of the rod lengths until the major portion of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, whereby the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is minimized.

2. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, the combination of a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, and means engaging the severed rod lengths while the latter are partly engaged by the conveyor to prevent accelerated movement of the rod lengths until substantially the whole of each severed rod length rests on said conveyor, said last named means including a member yieldingly engaging the surface of the successive rod lengths as they are severed to apply pressure thereto, whereby slippage of the rod lengths on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is reduced.

3. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, said rod severing means including a guide member reciprocating in the direction of rod movement, the combination of a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, and means carried by said guide member and engaging the severed rod lengths while the latter are partly engaged by the conveyor to prevent accelerated movement of the rod lengths until the major portion of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, whereby the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is minimized.

4. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, said rod severing means including a guide member reciprocating in the direction of rod movement, the combination of a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, and means carried by said guide member and engaging the severed rod lengths to prevent accelerated movement thereof until the major portion of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, where by the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is minimized, said retarding means being so disposed in the direction of movement of the severed rod 35 lengths that the latter are released therefrom during movement of the guide member in'a direction reverse to that of the severed lengths.

5. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, said rod severing means including a guide member reciprocating in the direction of rod movement and a cutting blade cooperating with said guide member and partaking of movement with the latter in the direction of rod movement during the severing operation, the combination of means imparting reciprocating movement to said guide member, a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, and means carried by said guide member and engaging the severed rod lengths to prevent accelerated movement thereof until the major portion of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, whereby the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is minimized, said retarding means being so disposed in the direction of movement of the severed rod lengths that the latter are released therefrom during movement at substantially maximum velocity of the guide member in a direction reverse to that of the severed lengths.

6. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for. feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, said rod severing means including a guide member reciprocating in the direction of rod movement and a cutting blade cooperating with said guide member and partaking of movement with the latter in the direction of rod movement during the severing operation, the combination of means imparting reciprocating movement to said guide member, a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, and means including a spring finger carried by said guide member and engaging the severed rod lengths to prevent accelerated movement thereof until the major portion of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, whereby the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is minimized, said retarding means being so disposed in the direction of movement of the severed rod lengths that the latter are released therefrom during movement at substantially maximum velocity of the guide member in a direction reverse to that of the severed lengths.

7. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, the combination of a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, means engaging the severed rod lengths while the latter are partly engaged by the conveyor to prevent accelerated movement of the rod lengths until substantially the whole of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, whereby the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is minimized, and means associated with said conveyor for controlling transverse movement of cigarettes thereon.

8. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rodtype having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, the combination of a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, means engaging the severed rod lengths while the latter are partly engaged by the conveyor to prevent accelerated movement of the rod lengths until substantially the whole of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, whereby the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor'during acceleration thereby is minimized, and means associated with said conveyor for controlling transverse movement of cigarettes thereon, said last named means being disposed above said conveyor for adjustment toward and away from the latter.

9. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, the combination of a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at a higher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of-the severed lengths is effected, means engaging the severed rod lengths while the latter are partly engaged by the conveyor to prevent accelerated movement of the rod length until substantially the whole of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, whereby the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is minimized, andmeans associated with said conveyor for controlling transverse movement of cigarettes thereon, said last named means including endless band means moving in the direction of and at the speed of the conveyor.

10. In a cigarette making machine of the continuous rod type having means for feeding a cigarette rod axially in a predetermined path and means disposed adjacent said path for severing said rod into lengths, said rod severing means including a guide member reciprocating in the direction of rod movement, the combination of a conveyor receiving the severed rod lengths and forwarding the same axially at ahigher linear speed than that of the rod, whereby separation of the severed lengths is effected, and a pair of opposed yielding elements carried by said guide member and engaging the severed rod lengths to prevent acceleration thereof by the conveyoruntil the major portion of each rod length has been received by the conveyor, whereby the tendency of the rod lengths to slip on the conveyor during acceleration thereby is minimized.

' DESMOND WALTER MOLINS. 

